the actor and activist has been feverishly discussed as a possible candidate for senate. now, he's addressing the speculation in a candid, cuss word-laced interview. and a magic moment. an illusionist turns a pile of dirt and a rock into a diamond engagement ring. a magic proposal that's gone viral. and the happy couple will join us live. every time we do one of these stories about these proposals, it makes me feel completely inadequate about my proposal to my wife. i thought i did a good job. >> this guy is incredible. move over, david blaine. that's a very sweet story. we're going to talk to them later in the show. we have a busy morning. it's one week after the newtown school shooting tragedy. we finally heard from the national rifle association. the nra chief held a news conference friday, making his case for armed guards at schools.

even as protesters tried to disrupt his statement. this, as more than four dozen hollywood stars lend their voices to a new video to end gun violence. we'll tell you about their message coming up. and mayor michael bloomberg also spoke out about this. so, we're going to hear what he has to say. >> fierce national debate. also coming up this morning, on a bit of a lighter note, the extraordinary new bionic body suit technology, making miracles for people who never thought they would walk again. we're going to hear from these people. their stories are extraordinary. >> that's true. and we congratulate our good friend, sam champion, who got married yesterday to rubem robierb. a small ceremony in sam's manhattan apartment. all of his "gma" pals were there. robin, still recovering from her bone marrow transplant, looking beautiful in red. lara and josh were there, as well. sam champion, a married man. >> that's great. and in honor of sam champion, we're going to lead with the weather this morning. we're going to start with the snow and ice and wind creating holiday travel tribulations,

including for our own meteorologist, ginger zee, who had a rough ride getting from iowa to chicago. ginger, good morning to you. are you okay? >> yeah, dan. we finally made it. and i've got to tell you, that was a formidable trip. i don't need to do it anytime again soon. i think a lot of folks are feeling me, too. here at o'hare, busy. but running smoothly. that's the case across much of the nation. a little bit of storm action still in the northeast. i'll talk about that later. but so far, the annual migration over the river and through the woods is on. the hub on the travel wheel is turning again at chicago's o'hare. can you believe how short the line is? >> i'm so happy. >> i thought it would be a little worse. >> reporter: after that storm blanketed the landscape from washington to wisconsin, with preholiday drama. >> a lot of consolations. two delays. missed one plane by three minutes.

>> reporter: the extreme weather team met the mess in iowa, where a whiteout led to one of many interstate shutdowns. a blowing snow problem. we were just about to turn around. and then, everyone came to a stop. safely, i should say. but we just learned that there is a major pileup, some 20, 30 miles ahead of us. this could be the backup. 24 hours later, the skies cleared. but the blizzard left us inches along. we're going east on i-80, going about 20 miles per hour. while we crept, the stranded slept. and some stewed. >> this is the fourth time i've been to each desk. since i missed my flight. >> reporter: he, along with an american legion, were back on time. weather is still affecting some travel, especially in the northeast. i want to show you exactly who could be affected today. at early check, there were about 40 cancellations across the nation. and we think there will be more delays, especially in the northeast, thanks to wind gusts. some yesterday up to 60 miles

per hour. it won't be that bad. but boston, new york, d.c., check ahead. san francisco could have some rain issues. fog in l.a. and a lot of people are hitting the roads, too. you need to know what the road conditions are like. fortunately, most of the nation looking pretty good. but some slippery stuff in the lee of the lakes there, eastern great lakes. upstate new york. problems in new england, too. and back into the cascades and parts of the rockies. so, watch out for that. coming up in your nation's weather, i'm going to talk about the deep freeze that's going on in florida. that's right. it's cold in a lot of places. dan and bianna? >> low temperatures in florida. let's hope you can get back safe here, ginger. it's been a hectic week for you. we turn, now, to the fiscal cliff getting closer. just ten days until everybody's taxes go up and spending cuts kick in. and washington's a ghost town with no deal in sight. talks halted until after christmas, leaving just a few days to bang out some kind of plan before the deadline. abc's david kerley has the latest from the white house. david, before leaving to spend the holidays with his family,

the president urged lawmakers to find some common ground for these coming days. but it doesn't seem to be happening right now. >> reporter: the president in that same message, gave up on the big deal for right now. he wants a stop-gap measure to keep taxes from going up. and a framework for a bigger deal next year. all this while the halls of congress are empty. and the president's not in this house, either. this morning, the president arrived in his home state of hawaii for the holidays. before leaving, he told members of congress to cool down. have some eggnog and christmas cookies and come back and make a deal. >> nobody can get 100% of what they want. and this is not simply a contest between parties, in terms of who looks good and who doesn't. there are real world consequences to what we do here. >> reporter: while members of the house left town, the republican leader in the senate reflected the gridlock, in front of a fireplace. >> i'm stuck in washington, trying to prevent my fellow kentuckians from having to shell out more money to uncle sam next year. >> reporter: joking aside, the

president met again with the democratic leader in the senate and house speaker john boehner. but it is a wounded and weakened speaker of the house, who was deserted by his fellow republicans when he tried to extend tax rates for everyone but millionaires. >> are you quitting? >> absolutely not. and we're prepared to come back, if needed. >> reporter: a new abc news/"washington post" poll shows 53% of americans believe republicans need less conservative policies. more focused on the middle-class. for now, the halls of congress are empty until next thursday. leaving us closer to taxes going up and massive spending cuts taking effect. unless they can make a deal. >> how we get there, god only knows. >> reporter: the president says, there's still a chance. >> call me a hopeless optimist. but i still think we can get it done. >> reporter: and the president wished everyone a merry christmas. here's the problem, what the president's asking for now, the stop-gap measure is what boehner

tried to get passed in the house on thursday. but he never brought that bill to the floor, knowing his fellow republicans would not vote for it. so, we have gridlock as we head to the holidays. bianna and dan? >> not encouraging hearing the speaker say god only knows. david kerley, thank you. this is another example of how toxic the atmosphere in washington is right now. when the head of the national rifle association called a news conference to respond to the school shootings in newtown. you can see here. he was repeatedly interrupted by protesters. and celebrities are weighing in on this issue. here's abc's pierre thomas. >> reporter: the nra's solution for the massacre at sandy hook, armed security in every school. >> the only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun. >> the nra has blood on its hands. >> reporter: the nra leader had barely begun when protesters blamed the powerful lobby for the nation's epidemic of gun violence. >> nra, stop killing our

children. >> reporter: but the nra was defiant. after remaining silent in the wake of the worst elementary school shooting in the nation's history, wayne lapierre was on the attack, blaming others for the recent carnage. high on the list, violent video games. >> there exists in this country, a callous, corrupt and corrupting shadow industry that sells and stows violence against its own people. >> reporter: critics pounced. >> the nra's blanket call to arm our schools is really nothing more than a distraction. >> reporter: new york city mayor michael bloomberg called the nra statement a shameful evasion of the crisis. the mayor wants what he calls reasonable restrictions. a ban on assault rifles and high-capacity magazines. and bloomberg has a cavalcade of stars demanding action. >> demand a plan. >> reporter: but the nra is making clear, that plan had better not infringe on the rights of gun owners.

for "good morning america," pierre thomas, abc news, washington. >> battle lines are clearly drawn. we'll get more on that story, coming up in the broadcast. first let's get over to ron for the latest headlines. >> hey, there. good morning, everyone. three people have been arrested for the deadly explosion that devastated an indiana neighborhood last month. the homeowner, her boyfriend, and his brother. they've been charged with murder and arson in the blast that killed two people. authorities say they found evidence that the gas lines were tempered with. the explosion destroyed five homes and damaged dozens of others. and a federal judge has given final approval to bp's settlement on the massive oil spill in the gulf of mexico. that was two years ago. the oil giant has estimated it will pay $7.8 billion to help out businesses and individuals affected by the oil spill. and the tennis umpire who was charged with murdering her husband has her job back. the u.s. tennis association

approved lois goodman's return to the court. prosecutors dropped the case last month against her because of insufficient evidence. goodman was suspended from her job after her arrest in august. and a crowd in ft. worth, texas, got a little more than they bargained for when they were lined up to buy the new air jordan sneakers. it was friday morning. police doused the crowd, about 200 people, with pepper spray, in response to reports that people were getting out of control and fights were breaking out. several people were treated at the scene. quite a scene. and finally, talk about being in the right place at the right time, a police officer in wisconsin rescued a baby in a runaway shopping cart. it was captured on the police dash cam. you see it rolling into traffic. the officer pulled his car into the middle of the road to block oncoming cars. and ran out and saved the baby. i actually did that years ago. i don't like to talk about it. modesty. >> so modest, ron claiborne.

>> i'll bet his mother ran up and gave him a lot of hugs. >> oh, yeah. a real hero. >> is that what happened to you? >> shook my hand and went away. ungrateful. maybe she went shopping. we're going to look at the wild weekend at malls, filled with last-minute christmas shoppers. some stores will stay open around the clock, until after christmas. we have team coverage in these final days of shopping. abc's rachel smith looks at where and when to get the best deals with the least amount of stress, if that's possible. and john schriffen will look into whether the bad weather will mean your gifts won't get there on time. let's start it off with rachel who is at macy's in new york's herald square. how's it looking, rachel? >> reporter: pretty good, bianna. good morning to you. if you still have shopping to do for everyone on your christmas list, you are definitely not alone. there's only three more shopping days left before the big holiday.

and stores are staying open around the clock to accommodate all those last-minute shoppers. every year, many fall victim to the same routine. you know exactly when christmas is every year. >> i know. and i always mean to plan ahead. >> reporter: extended store hours at macy's nationwide. the one here in new york city, working around the clock. >> check it out. >> reporter: toys "r" us, clocking major overtime. their times square location, open 543-consecutive hours. come retail experts say, it will be a bigger shopping day than black friday, which has even the procrastinators strategizing. >> did research online, so i knew what i was going to get. >> talking about getting a glass of wine before i started. and i think maybe i probably should have. >> reporter: may not be a bad idea. another helpful tip, shopping at off-peak hours. >> shopping in the middle of the night sounds crazy. but you're likely to get a parking spot. and there's more stock on the shelves.

>> reporter: and it may come with an added benefit. >> toys, christmas decorations, apparel, jewelry. those things start to get slashed right as we get to the last minute. >> reporter: 25%. 30%. 40%. i'm loving these numbers. >> don't be fooled. the sales will be better after christmas. so, if you're shopping for yourself, hold off. just wait. >> reporter: but if you're shopping for this little one -- >> merry christmas. >> reporter: expect to wait in line, like everybody else. a couple of final inside tips for you. a rep from macy's told me the best time to shop during their extended hours is between 3:00 and 5:00 a.m. and becky says keep your eyes peeled for electronics. the prices may not come down. but there's incentives with your purchase, like gift cards. >> thank you, rachel. lots of good tips in there. we appreciate it. another pressing question

this morning. with all of the bad weather and the crush of last-minute shoppers, will your gift be delivered on time? abc's john schriffen is on that angle from a fedex location in newark, new jersey. john, good morning to you, sir. >> reporter: dan, good morning. a lot of activity this morning. this is fedex's third-largest hub in the country. and a plane just dropped off a shipment. workers are sorting it out right now. we're starting to see an increase in online shopping, fedex expects to set a record number for packages they handle this holiday season. these employees are working overtime and around the clock, to make sure your package is delivered on time. with three days until christmas, santa's little helpers are hard at work. >> i know him. >> reporter: no, not those helpers. these helpers. delivery companies like u.p.s. and fedex are scrambling to get packages out of their trucks and under your tree. delivering more than 500 packages per second on their peak day alone. >> u.p.s. is on top of this. hopefully you're home when we get there. >> reporter: l.l. bean sold so many holiday gifts, even its ceo

had to help wrap and pack. all this, begging the question. >> will this make it for christmas? >> reporter: that question particularly hairy this year, as last-minute shoppers create a logistical nightmare for shipping companies. many people were forced to procrastinate because of superstorm sandy and this week's blizzard. others are waiting for last-minute bargains. >> people are working and have active lives. so, they come to us to get the last-minute shipping out. >> reporter: the only man that can ensure an on-time delivery, besides kriss kringle, is benjamin franklin. today, if you send a package from new york to los angeles, it will cost you $110. but guaranteed it will reach your doorstep by christmas eve. and fedex says the biggest hurdle they face is the weather. so, if the roads are clear, they say chances are, the package

will get there on time. >> john schriffen, reporting from the heart of the action. thank you, sir. ben affleck has created buzz for many reasons over the years. from his romantic entanglements. to his acting roles, to his resurgence as an oscar-worthy director. >> lately, there's talk he might jump into politics. now, affleck is dropping a big hint about his future plans. and abc's john muller is here with more. do tell, john. >> ben affleck dropping more than a hint in an interview with gq.com. he fires off a verbal smackdown, when it comes to talking about a potential political career. all this as his political star and polish has ridden steadily in the last few weeks. >> we think everybody knows hollywood. >> reporter: we know him as a movie star and director. his handsome face attracting magazine covers and beautiful women throughout his career. but increasingly, ben affleck's name is coming up as a potential powerhouse political candidate. now, in an interview, affleck puts the brakes on all that

speculation. saying politics is, among other things, ugly, toxic, horrendous and complete bull [ bleep ]. strong words after speculation the boston-born affleck might launch a potential senate bid to fill john kerry's seat now that kerry has been tapped for secondary of state. but affleck says, the answer is, i don't want to run for office. and i don't like working in partisan politics. people get so wound up and so ugly now. >> my name is ben affleck. i am the founder of the eastern congo initiative. >> reporter: last week, affleck testified before congress on security concerns in the congo. he sat down to discuss politics and humanity concerns in africa on "this week." >> that's something that the united states can really have an impact on. >> reporter: but his youthful interest in a political career has been, quote, sublimated into a tremendous disillusion with the political process. which, as it turns out, is almost entirely about raising money. affleck goes on to tell gq.com, i have gotten myself into

politics, only to find out it took the wind out of my sail. it's much more interesting from the outside than from the inside. and he goes on to say in that interview, he could have more of an affect on change working independently rather than a partisan politician. >> he's very impressive. he's read in on politics. thank you. time to check in with weather. over to ginger zee in chicago. good morning, ginger. >> good morning. that storm isn't quite done with us yet. parts of the northeast and new england, still dealing with it. and yesterday, it was cleveland. a little mixture of lake-effect snow and moisture from that storm. we have video from there. and i want to show you just what was happening. they had about three inches in cleveland proper. outside of it, a little more. and that lake-effect or lake-enhanced snow is going to continue with the winds over the warm lake. 40 miles per hour to 60 miles per hour, the gusts will be, in a lot of the other places. you're seeing the red there. and the purple, too.

one thing i promised you was how cold it is in florida. that's the freeze warning. windchill advisories. 20s and 30s, from orlando, jacksonville, tallahassee, as well. >> an area i haven't been able to talk about too much, the sierras. i have a picture to share with you. you can find me on facebook and twitter. we got this one, beautiful, from northern california. they were continuing to get more snow. and they will, with more storms.

there's that colorful sky. thanks so much for sending them. we send it back in the studio now. >> thanks, ginger. i love the people in the security line behind you. hate being in line. but nice to have ginger there. now, to what may be a huge, medical breakthrough. a bionic suit, a sort of wearable robot, that can help paralyzed patients, people that never thought they would walk again. here's abc's muhammad lila. >> gentlemen, we can rebuild him. >> reporter: for years, we dreamed of the impossible. >> better than he was before. >> reporter: dreamed of building a bionic man. >> better, stronger, faster. >> reporter: today, those big dreams start with these tiny steps. >> mentally, it's a wonderful mealing to be upright and moving. >> reporter: 27-year-old aaron bloom was paralyzed after an accident two years ago. told he would never walk again. now, with each step, each grimace, he's defying the odds. >> right now, i don't need

anybody holding on to me. i can lift my hands up and put weight on the crutches and feel comfortable. >> reporter: it's thanks to this. the bionic suit. designed for soldiers to carry heavy loads. it's being used in southern california and elsewhere, to help paralyzed patients walk. the company behind it said since they developed the technology, they helped patients take more than 1 million steps. including some down the wedding aisle. 47-year-old lupe meza was paralyzed cliff jumping. when she looks at it, all she sees is hope. >> it will change my life. it will make things a lot better. >> reporter: as for bloom, learning how to use the suit took him weeks of practice. he knows it's not a perfect cure. but it is one step closer to one. >> i have no doubt that in my lifetime, there will be some sort of solution for spinal cord injuries. i firmly believe i'll be able to walk in the future. it's just a matter of time. >> reporter: the suit costs $150,000.

and there are different versions of it out there. in many cases, health insurance doesn't cover that cost. so, it is expensive. but the life-changing potential of this is definitely there. >> extraordinary. great story. coming up here on the broadcast, remember the actor who played the bully in that movie, "a christmas story." why did he recently get embroiled in a lawsuit over his famous role? that face is indelible. and with christmas just three days away, we're talking holiday food. food editor sara moulton is here with her favorite cookbooks of the year. can't wait for that. >> i'm a big cook, as you know. plus, magic moment. an illusionist turning a rock and some dirt into a diamond engagement ring. and asking his stunned girlfriend to marry him. the video has gone viral. we're going to talk to the happy couple here on this saturday before christmas. more to come. keep it here. [ male announcer ] introducing centrum flavor burst adult multivitamins...

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natural things are mixing together. so, i wanted to try kind of an experiment. >> we here at "gma," we love a good wedding proposal. this, caught on tape. an illusionist, otherwise known as a magician, surprising his girlfriend, by turning dirt and a rock into an engagement ring. this video has gone viral. the happy couple is going to join us live here. good morning to you. >> this proves once again, women love creativity. it's the thought that counts. they're a cute couple. >> i have to write that down. >> the thought that counts. we love creativity. also this morning, we are counting down to christmas with a look at the best cookbooks of the year.

we have spring rolls to a blueberry tart coming up. a book called "charred and scuffed." sounds like my cooking. >> burnt and smoking. by bianna golodryga. >> yes. we're going to begin this half hour with the bully from the holiday film, "a christmas story," in the middle of a grown-up fight. mark greenblatt is here. mark, what's going on here? >> reporter: we're talking about one of the most famous bullies of all-time. the actor has grown up. and says the tables have turned, with corporate america being mean now to him. >> what? are you going to cry now? >> reporter: you probably know zack ward as one of the most famous and feared bullies of all-time.

scut farkus, the nemesis of ralphie in "a christmas story." he's the one getting bulled now, by the maker of a board game after that classic. he's suing the national collectible entertainment association for fraud, claiming the company used his image without his permission and without paying him. >> it's not the way you're supposed to treat people. and in my gut, it felt unfair. and it was the perfect example of being bullied. >> reporter: ward said he did give permission for this action figure to be made. a role for which he took on just $5,000. he claims that the national entertainment collectibles association never mentioned the board game. >> i had never been told about this. i was shocked. absolutely shocked. >> reporter: his lawsuit quotes e-mails from the movie studio, like this one, warning the board gamemaker, you cannot ship this product without approval from the actor. ward claimed the company tricked the studio into thinking it did have permission to make the games and sold thousands of them. >> they expected to me to roll over, suck my thumb and go home. and complain and whine about it. but really do nothing.

and i just couldn't do that. >> reporter: but the manufacturer's lawyer tells "gma," we had his consent. this has been a manufactured story from the beginning. but does concede they owe ward royalties. leaving, perhaps, the most famous bully ever, learned from ralphie in the movie, sometimes it does pay to fight back. and the attorney for that board gamemaker believes that zack ward simply a washed-up actor whose career peaked at 13 years old. and claims his client did get permission to get that image. overnight, we're also told they settled the lawsuit. and he is owed royalties. >> it's interesting to see him grown up. he doesn't look like a bully anymore. >> but still has the red hair. >> thanks. time to check in with ron and the other top stories. >> what a shock. >> i know. >> hi. good morning, everybody. in the news, president obama arrived in hawaii for his holiday vacation, but with no deal to keep the economy from

going over the fiscal cliff. before leaving, the president pushed congress to approve a stripped-down measure to prevent taxes from rising for all but the wealthiest americans. and a former marine held in mexico for months is back home. jon hammar was arrested trying to cross into mexico with a shotgun that belonged to his great grandfather. and twinkies and other hostess snacks could be back on the store shelves soon. the company says it's close to selling its brand. and expects to have different buyers for the snack cakes and bread brands. finally, a major milestone for the biggest viral video ever. psy's "gangnam style" has become the first video to reach, check this out, 1 billion views on youtube. in second place, i'm told, was a video by our friend, justin bieber. >> does the mayan end of the world prophecy didn't come true. but there are some signs. >> and by the way, my step kids corrected me. it's "gangnam style." >> what did i say?

>> it's "gangnam style." for future reference, when it hits 2 billion. >> all right, bianna. we'll talk later. time for the weather and ginger zee at o'hare airport in chicago. ginger? >> good morning, ron. i know you lived here, too. it feels good to be home for a little bit. let's talk about your home and if you'll have a white christmas. let's get to a place that will have it. the sierras. if you're doing skiing, looking good. and more snow on the way. they could see up to five feet in the next couple of storms. the roads aren't going to be perfect. want to get the chains on in the higher elevations. let's look at the snow and what you can expect in the west coast. san francisco getting rain out of it. up in the higher elevations, more snow. that slips close to los angeles, back through early this week. and for the rest of the country, the white christmas forecast looks like this. snow depth is what you're seeing right now. and we're watching one storm moving up the east coast, maybe getting outside the big cities. a little white on their

christmas. >> dan, bianna, i didn't get a chance to give my extreme team member, partner there, sam champion, a congrats. i want to do that. and send it back to you. >> we'll celebrate when you're back in new york, ginger. thanks. coming up on "good morning america," we are headed into the kitchen for a special treat. we never cook on this show. food editor sara moulton who is here with her favorite cookbooks of the year. we're all hungry this morning. >> love to see sara. also, an illusionist's magical proposal. a dirt. a rock. and voila, an engagement ring. this video has gone viral. we're going to talk to the couple live here on "gma" on this saturday morning. keep it here.

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♪ we are counting down to christmas. in honor of our 12 days of

cooking, food editor sara moulton is here with a selection of some of her favorite cookbooks of 2012. there were hundred you chose from. >> it was very hard this year. >> let's start with the first one. >> okay. this is "the smitten kitchen" cookbook. what i love about it is she is a very serious home cook. i love reading the intro to each recipe. she developed and tests the recipes over and over again. so, you know they work. it's a very cozy book. i love this book. and we have some cranberry crumb cake with mulling spices. >> she's not a chef, as well. >> she is home-taught. and boy, did she teach herself a lot. she did. this is a -- yeah, we loved this man. there's been so many grilling books. but this one stands out. it's not about the basics. it goes beyond with all these techniques about how to get more flavor out of everything you grill. and he's quite unorthodox. he'll rough up a piece of meat to get more flavor in the nooks and crannies.

very interesting book for the serious griller. >> for when you want to grill in your backyard. >> i'm more interested in a pamphlet about how to use a toaster. that's more my speed. >> okay, dan. >> there's been a zillion gluten-free cookbooks. and this is one. but what got my -- and i've not been impressed until now. but the photography in this is amazing. this woman also has a blog. she's from the bask region of spain. and her husband and kids found out she was gluten-intolerant. but the photography's amazing. and the recipes are very healthy, clean-looking and very come hither. >> it's good to know if you have small children, you can serve them treats. >> by the way, this is a christmas treat from that area. it's hazel nut and cinnamon and vanilla soup. >> i've never heard a recipe described as come hither. so, i'm going to try it. >> this is a "vietnamese home cooking" by charles phan. he's an amazing chef.

he's the owner of the slanted door in san francisco. i eat there every time i'm in san francisco. i love his restaurant. he decided that if he gives you the ingredients and techniques, that you'll become as familiar with this as italian and french cooking. it will become part of your daily repertoire. it's exciting. vietnamese food done this way is exciting. >> moving on. >> this is for the dessert impaired, like me. i'm not good at desserts. this woman is an accomplished author and pastry chef. what she did here, she took the prepared ingredients, not the awful stuff with the additives. and put them together in creative ways. you look like a dessert genius. >> sometimes pastry chefs are overlooked. >> this makes it easy, that the three of us can do this. i know we're not all pastry people. and our guests would go, whoa. that's amazing. this is a fun, little book. these two gals took big dishes and shrunk them down. miniappetizers, minientrees, and shooter drinks. and i don't like to entertain. i don't know if you do.

>> yes. >> yeah. >> well, i don't. >> you had a christmas party. >> do you do the cooking, dan? >> no. >> if i didn't do the cooking, get somebody to clean the house and do all of the cooking, maybe i would entertain. >> i do dishes. >> this book made me want to throw a party. >> really? >> it's just so much fun. you know, you have little, tiny, onion rings and little, tiny, crab cakes, and little, tiny sandwiches. and philly cheesesteaks. and they're tiny. it's a great way to eat. >> many more. there's at least 15 more on the website. it was a very difficult year to choose. but great books we've got here. >> sara, thanks so much. merry christmas to you. and as sara said, you can find more information available on goodmorningamerica.com on yahoo! coming up here on the broadcast, a unique marriage proposal. how an illusionist made a diamond ring appear. the happy couple is with us live

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okay. so, this is the proposal we've been talking about all morning. sean emory is a magician, or an illusionist. he pulled a trick on his girlfriend. he said he was going to do a magic trick and needed her to videotape it. take a look at what happened next. >> a little bit of leaf. a little dirt.

turn them into something really special. andrea, will you marry me? please? >> yes. >> i love you. you know you filmed your own proposal? >> that's incredible. >> it's great they had another camera there. andrea could not be relied on for accurate filming at that moment. sean and andrea are with us, via skype. first of all, congratulations. >> yes. >> second of all, andrea, i'm dying to know how did you feel at that moment when you saw that ring in his hand? >> i was just shocked. i mean, you know, i film him doing magic tricks all the time. i wasn't expecting that because, you know, we do that all the time.

so, yeah. i wasn't expecting it at all. it was awesome. >> it's clear you were surprised there. what an emotional proposal that was. sean, you've been together for five years. you seemed very poised. were you nervous at all during this proposal? >> no. i was so ready. i was, like, let's do this. like, i was like jumping up and down. like, ready to go. yeah. i waited five years. >> that's great. sean, how do you top this at the wedding? can you make your in-laws disappear? i mean, what's your next play here? >> i'm actually working on the in-law vanish right now. >> oh. >> i love you guys. sorry. yeah. we're actually planning on maybe doing a bigger illusion at the wedding, to kind of carry on. follow through with it. >> yep. >> sean and andrea, you're a gorgeous couple. the proposal was, indeed, magical. and we really appreciate you coming on this morning. thank you. >> thank you so much. >> thanks, you guys. >> bye, guys. >> take a leaf. a rock.

that's it. >> bianna's perfecting this. we'll be right back. keep it here. more "gma" after the break. ♪ panic for me... ♪ anxiety. ♪ why do i wait? ♪ procrastinate. ♪ what should i do? ♪ brought nothing new. ♪ i will be shunned. ♪ son will be bummed. ♪ maybe i can re-gift this blender. ♪ what would your 8 year old do with a blender? ♪ think more clearly... ♪ what's this i see? ♪ target has a way. ♪ new deals today. ♪ last minute sale... ♪ thanks for the bail. ♪ gifts on the way. ♪ target saves the day. [ female announcer ] with depression, simple pleasures can simply hurt. the sadness, anxiety,

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that's it for the show. thank you for watching. good-bye, ginger. she will be live from chicago, back to new york tomorrow. we're always online at goodmorningamerica.com on yahoo! make sure you watch "world news" with david muir. it's a soaker out there. what the bay area is doing with the weather. >> we're looking at the heaviest in the south bay.

we still have light rain but much of the rain is pushing on through, the clearing behind the front in oakland and san francisco. so take a look at marin, sonoma and napa but down to the south bay we have the yellows and oranges. still moderate rain from concord and walnut creek. peninsula, lighter rain, san francisco 280 and 101, light rain showers. but the heaviest rain here is past the milpitas area in the santa cruz mountains. enhanced rates down to salinas and breaks around campbell this morning. right here in santa cruz mountains, salinas, monterey, thunderstorms and wind gusts 30-40 miles an hour. this is back edge of the front continuing to clear the central coast. with it as it pushes through the winds are really dialing back out of southeast at five miles an hour in the north bay, but

still breezy at sfo and delays to 45 minutes. we do get into a break the rest of the day today, isolated showers around. here we are at 9:00 and right through the midnight hour and through tomorrow, this evening, but into tomorrow, i'll tell you the next system that will bring heavy rain, 4:00 in the morning and front doesn't pass through the middle afternoon. another round of rain but that is not until tomorrow. thank you. "abc 7 news" at 8:00 is next.

>> katie: good morning, it is 8:00 a.m. i'm katie marzullo. we'll start a look at the weather, here is lisa argen. >> lisa: good morning. here is a look at san mateo bridge and looking a little bit better than it did a few hours ago. the winds have lightened up. the rain was coming down horizontally in the early morning hours. heaviest is along the central coast. south of gilroy into hollister a line of thunderstorms right here. also pretty heavy rain in the santa cruz mountains. here is the rain line pushing